Gang switch for dispatch systems



July 29, 1947.

' ALL. RICHE GANG SWITCH FOR DISPATCH SYSTEMS Filed June 16, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet i July 1947. A. 1.. RICHE 2,424,668

' GANG SWITCH FOR bISPA'I'CH SYSTEMS Filed June 16, 1943 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 30 I 11 5a 15 36 56 g 38 I 0 r 1 v I k 4 64 45 a v 1 l W47. 67 fhsulalr'on 7 7 429 r Patented July 29, 1947 GANG SWITCH FOR DISPATCH SYSTEMS Arthur L. Riche, Freeport, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to First Industrial Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application June 1.6, 1943, Serial No. 490,967

4 Claims. (Cl. 2006) The present invention relates to electric switches and to control mechanisms utilizing them.

It is anobject of the present invention to provide an electric switch construction for selector mechanisms for certain specialized installations such, for example, as selector mechanisms used on automatic elevators and other similar controls for automatically dispatching the elevator, driving it in the proper direction and stopping it at the required station as described in my copending application Serial No. 687,497, filed July 31, 1946, entitled Dispatch system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel electric switch construction having novel means for adjusting the switch mechanisms.

I have also aimed to provide a novel switch structure having two switching units disposed on opposite sides of a central supporting member between the supporting member, and actuating arms spaced therefrom, and wherein the actuating arms extend beyond the central member and beyond the switch elements for actuation of the switch by movement of the arms in opposite directions.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an enlarged, general perspective view of my improved switch construction partly broken away to reveal various details of the construction and mechanism;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the device in Figure 1 drawn to the same large scale;

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a single control unit of my improved construction;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, approximately full scale, illustrating my improved construction, together with the actuating cams therefor; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a part of the mechanism of Fig. 2 in its operated position.

As is shown in Fig. 4, the present embodiment of the switch construction consists of four separate, identical, control units ll, l2, l3 and I4 mounted in parallel, side-by-side alignment on angle brackets I6 and I1 and operated by operators including cams 2 I, 22, 23 and 24, respectively, and a shaft 20, all of which cams are carried on and driven by the same rotating shaft 20.

As is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of the separate identical control units ||,,|2, l3 and M includes a substantially rigid central strip 3|] carrying switch units on opposite sides thereof including resilient adjustor strips 32 and 34, which at their upper ends are spaced slightly from the central strip .30. Spaced out from these adjustor strips and lying alongside them are actuator strips 36 and 38, turned out tabs 33 and 35 on the adjustor strips 32 and 34, and riveted brackets 31 and 39 on the actuator strips or arms 36 and 38 carrying snap acting springs 4| and 42, each of which comprises a single tension leaf spring 45 and a pair of bowed compression leaf springs 46 stamped from a single piece of spring material such as beryllium copper. The details of this construction can best be seen in Figure 1.

Since the radii of action of the tension members 45 are longer than the radii of action of the compression members 46, each of the springs 4| and 42 is adapted to snap back and forth across its dead center line between an abutment 49 and an electric contact 50, in response to motion of its supporting actuator arm 36 (or 38) relative to its adjustor arm 32 (or 34).

In the normal position of the switch mechanism (shown in Fig. 2) snap acting spring 4| lies against the stop 49 leaving contacts 43 and 50 separated to provide a contact gap 41. Similarly spring 42 normall holds its contacts open at 4B. As is shown in Fig. 5, when the actuator arm 38 is deflected outward far enough to carry the supporting axis of compression strips 46 of spring 42 to the right of the tension strip 45, the spring 42 closes the contact gap 48.

Each actuator arm 36 and 38 has a notched portion 52 near its lower end to concentrate the flexure there for improving the accuracy of the switch operation. Each of the adjuster strips 32 and 34 has a set that tends to hold it close to the central supporting strip 30 but it can be defiected outwardly therefrom by an adjusting screw which therefor constitutes a means for adjusting the position at which the actuator arm 36 (or 38) causes the spring 4| (or 42) to snap from one of its extreme positions to the other. Adjusting screw 54 is carried by a nut 56 riveted into the central supporting strip 30 and drives against the adjuster strip 32 as is best seen in Figs. 1 and 3. The nut 56 includes a fibre insert 58 which pinches the screw 54 sufficiently to prevent it from turning freely or from changing its adjustment in response to vibration to which the device may be subjected. A similar adjusting screw 62 is carried by a nut 64 riveted into the adjuster strip 34 itself, and drives against the central supporting strip 30. Apertures 59 and 60 in the actuator arm 38 and aperture 6| in the adjuster strip 34 (see particularly Figure 1) permits adjusting screws 54 and 62 to be reached by a suitable wrench, This arrangement of the adjusting screws permits all adjustments to be made from one side of the assembly. The separate control units ll, :2, l3 and [4 are otherwise fully symmetrical. Each control unit is supported on a pair of threaded rods 66 which extend through insulating tubes 68 and carry nuts 61 for clamping the strips 36, 5|, 30, 5| and 38 in a stack of insulators 10. These rods 66 are also bolted to the supporting flanges I 6 and I! for their own support. Electrical connections are made to terminal tabs 12, I4 and '16 which extend down below the insulator stack '10 from the strips 30 and 5| (see Figs. 1 and 2).

One electric circuit extends from the terminal 12 through the supporting strip 30, adiustor strip 32, tab 33, and tension spring 45 to the contact 43, and when the switch is in the closed position thence to the contact strip 5! and terminal 14; Similarly another circuit extends from the terminal 12 through the right hand one of the two switches and then to the other terminal 16.

I claim:

1. The combination in an electric snap switch construction for use in an automatic dispatch system or the like, of a rigid central supporting arm, two resilient adjustor arms located on opposite sides of said central arm, separate means for flexing each of said resilient adjustor arms for adjusting its position relative to said central arm, a resilient actuator arm lying alongside each of said resilient adjustor arms, a snap acting spring carried by each resilient adjustor arm and its actuator arm and operated by relative motion thereof, and electric contacts operated by said snap acting springs, said actuator arms having projections extending beyond the other elements and an operator interposed between the ends of said arms to engage opposed faces thereof to operate the contacts in coordinated relationship.

2. The combination in a control mechanism for a dispatch system or the like of an electric switch construction comprising an insulating base, a substantially rigid central strip extending therefrom, two resilient adjusting arms mounted in cantilever fashion and extending along opposite sides of said central strip, separate screw adjusting means for deflecting each of said resilient adjusting arms relative to said central strip, resilient actuator arms extending from said base adjacent each of said resilient adjusting arms, and extending beyond the ends of said central arm and said adjusting arms, an operator interposed between and engaging the ends of said actuator arms for simultaneous operation thereof, and a snap action electric switch mechanism supported by and operated by each adjusting arm and its corresponding actuator arm' 3. The combination in an electric switch construction of the class described, of a rigid central supporting arm, two resilient adjuster arms located on opposite sides of said central arm, screw adjusting means in said central supporting arm for engaging one of said resilient adjustor arms to adjust the position thereof with respect to said central supporting arm, the other of said adjuster arms having an opening for the passage of said screw adjusting means, screw adjusting means carried in said other adjustor arm acting against said central supporting arm for adjusting the position of said other adjustor arm, a resilient actuator arm lying alongside of each of said resilient adjuster arms, one of said actuator arms having spaced openings for the passage of both of said screw adjusting means, a snap acting spring carried by each resilient adjustor arm and its corresponding actuator arm operated by relative movement thereof, and electric contacts operated by said snap acting springs, said actuator arms having projections extending beyond the other elements engageable to impart said relative movement between the actuator arms and the adjustor arms.

4. The combination in a control mechanism for a dispatch system or the like of an electric switch construction comprising an insulating base, a substantially rigid central strip extending therefrom, two resilient adjusting arms mounted in itilever fashion and extending along opposite sides of said central stn'p, separate screw adjusting means for deflecting each of said resilient adjusting arms relative to said central strip, resilient actuator arms extending from said base adjacent each of said resilient adjusting arms, and extending beyond the ends of said central arm and said adjusting arms, an operator interposed between and engaging the ends of said actuator arms for simultaneous operation thereof, a snap action electric switch mechanism supported by and operated by each adjusting arm and its corresponding actuator arm, and means for adjusting the open and closed contact position of said switches with respect to said operator.

ARTHUR L. RICHE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,243,566 Kimball May 27, 1941 2,170,748 Eaton Aug. 22, 1939 

